Author Archives: ptdog1

I have come to favor this translated quote from Voltaire’s “Questions sur les Miracles,”: “Formerly there were those who said: You believe things that are incomprehensible, inconsistent, impossible because we have commanded you to believe them; go then and do what is injust because we command it. Such people show admirable reasoning. Truly, whoever canContinue reading “On Becoming Unreasonable”

Jesus’s disciple, Judas Iscariot, has been known as his betrayer for millennia.  The gospels of Luke and John would have us believe that the reason that Judas betrayed Jesus was because Satan had entered Judas. Matthew and Mark leave us to our own interpretation of Judas’s actions. The gospel of Judas would have us believeContinue reading “The Judas Path”

[COMMENT: Your experiences and thoughts are more than welcome.  Your posts are important to me. You can leave likes and comments both, on my this blogsite searching-for-god.com. If you do, I will respond to you. The Night Watch Service is a New Year’s Eve version of John Wesley’s Covenant Service. The heart of this serviceContinue reading “The Night Watch”

Long ago I was introduced to the story about the Slaves and the Talents. Today, that story stands out as a mandate to invest what little wealth I have so that it will increase. This is the story from the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 25: The Kingdom of Heaven will be like this: “For itContinue reading “FAITHFULNESS THRU INVESTING”

What is God? Paul Tillich, often considered the most influential theologian of the 20th century wrote of God as being itself. In the early 1950s, Tillich wrote, “The only possible answer seems to be that God is being-itself, in the sense of the power of being or the power to conquer non-being.” [Systematic Theology, Vol.Continue reading “GOD”

Thanksgiving is a uniquely American experience celebrating the grace and hospitality of the Wampanoag nation to the ill-equipped Pilgrim settlers of Plymouth Colony in 1621. The Pilgrims response to that hospitality is a blot on American foreign policy and a mockery of Christian values. So can a 21st century Christian American participate by celebration onContinue reading “A Thanksgiving To Celebrate”

Tom (00:07): Hello everybody. Tom Ziegert here. Welcome to the fifth episode in the third season of my podcast, Theology 21st Century offering the religious outsider alternatives and practical understandings of God’s relationship with us. As with each week’s topic, I offer the apology that in this format, this subject can not be exhaustive. YourContinue reading “The Kingdom of God – Transcript”

I was listening to James Early talking about the Kingdom of Heaven in his podcast “The Bible Speaks to You.” There he spoke about the steps to finding the Kingdom and the gifts it offers to those who stay and live there. I recommend tuning in and allowing his life affirming and encouraging understanding ofContinue reading “The Kingdom of God – Notes”

This blog’s title is “I Am Who I Am,” a phrase attributed to God and Popeye. (Actually, Popeye said, “I am yam what I yam.”) Hard to believe that my generation got important theology from a cartoon. But we did. And we learned an important, albeit subconscious, lesson: You can’t be anyone else than whoContinue reading ““I Am Who I Am” – attributed to God & Popeye”

As with every week’s topic I offer the apology that in this format the subject cannot be exhaustive. Your experiences and thoughts will be a welcome addition to the discussion. Please post them as comments and I’ll get back to you. In this episode, I’ll discuss how, why, and what it means that the BookContinue reading “When the World Ended”